Moments of Zoro caring for Hiyori
There's this popular idea in the fandom that Zoro doesn't care about Hiyori— that he dislikes her and finds her annoying or is just plain indifferent to her— so I decided to make a post highlighting moments that show Zoro DOES care about her. I am a Zoyori shipper, but the scenes I discuss below can be seen as platonic if you're not into shipping them. I just want to debunk the idea that Zoro hates Hiyori.
🌸 Rescues her during their very first meeting
Zoro and Hiyori meet under less than ideal circumstances, with Hiyori and Toko being hunted down by an assassin. Zoro saves them after they ask him for help (although the Zoro we know definitely would've saved them regardless).
You could argue that Zoro only rescued them because of his moral code, that they were complete strangers to him at that point and it doesn't mean he cares about Hiyori. So we move on to the next moment...
🌸 Listens to Hiyori's plight and sympathizes
When Hiyori shares her history with Zoro, we can see he's interested and is sympathetic to her sad past.
Also, for my fellow Zoyori shippers I want to point out this funny bit:
Zoro, the guy who can sleep through turbulent storms and his crewmates yelling at him, can't fall asleep when Hiyori's talking? 🤭
But ofc he does quickly fall asleep with Toko and it's adorable
🌸 THE infamous Zoro and Hiyori scene
Zoro's reaction to this whole situation is usually taken as proof of his dislike for Hiyori— his "thots btfo" moment if you will— but the thing is Zoro would've reacted like this to anyone cuddling with him and flirting with him afterwards. It's not Zoro being a hater, it's just Zoro being Zoro. And as we see soon afterwards, even if he acted annoyed, he still cared about her enough to immediately run after her and Toko when they left for Yasuie's execution.
🌸 She calms him down and he lets her cry on him
Zoro's angry when he sees the people of Ebisu laughing at Yasuie's death and looks ready to attack them— but is stopped by Hiyori. He's still angry, but he stays still and hears Hiyori out instead of getting aggressive. Also...
^ One Piece is over a thousand chapters long and my memory might be failing me here, but atm I can't recall any other instance of Zoro letting a girl cry and cling to him for comfort.
🌸 Rescues her before Sanji
This is one of my favourite moments lol, as well as the biggest bit of undeniable proof (imo) that Zoro does indeed care about Hiyori. Sanji, the fastest Straw Hat and the guy who's powered by horniness and determined to save beautiful women at all costs, couldn't get to Hiyori as fast as Zoro did. Almost as if Zoro cares about her more than Sanji does 👀🤭
🌸 Their time in Hakumai forest
Zoro acts as Hiyori's bodyguard on the way to Enma Shrine. It's just the two of them— because remember, he was the last one to rescue Hiyori and get her out of the Flower Capital. But as we can see, he doesn't mind having to be her bodyguard.
He also opens up to her about wanting to avenge Tonoyasu.
It's a personal moment, and in turn Hiyori opens up about wanting to kill Orochi. And Zoro listens.
🌸 Remembered Hiyori's backstory
This is just a minor thing but while Zoro watches Hiyori and Kawamatsu's heartfelt reunion, he recalls her mentioning that she was raised by a kappa. He pays attention to what Hiyori says!
🌸 Instantly folded when she asked for Shusui
Alright, "instantly" is a bit of an exaggeration here, but Zoro was very possessive of Shusui. He fought with Kin'emon and Gyukimaru over it and didn't care when they told him about Shusui being Wano's national treasure. But when Hiyori asked him to return it, and offered Enma as a replacement, he finally acquiesced. This is huge for him! Meanwhile there are some Zoro fanboys who are still mad about Zoro having to give up Shusui lmao.
🌸 Reminded Momo that Hiyori was older than him
This is another small thing, but I like the fact that Zoro's familiar enough with Hiyori that he corrects other people's misconceptions about her.
Zoyori bonus: Zoro telling Sanji not to suck up to Zoro's future brother-in-law
🌸 Hears her shamisen while fighting King
This isn't a moment of them interacting, BUT Zoro was somehow able to hear Hiyori's shamisen playing even though she was holed up in the treasure repository, and I think it was an interesting storytelling choice to have Zoro's unlocking of CoC/his mastery over Enma triggered by the sound of Hiyori's shamisen. Even if she wasn't fighting with him, Hiyori was still vital to him getting stronger and being able to beat King.
So, there's all my evidence that contrary to popular fanon, Zoro does, in fact, care about Hiyori, even if he wasn't drooling over her like Sanji lol. Thank you for reading.
